First tuning a new harp

[jimmy-h]

Hi

So my new pedal harp just got here. Any advice for the first tuning back up? I’m paranoid that I’m going to break a string. I know I should probably tune it in flat and check it in natural then sharp, but what other pitfalls should I watch out for?

[Gretchen Cover]

Jimmy,

I bought a new harp several months ago. Here’s the advice I was given: Play the upper registers a lot during the first couple weeks and then work your way down the harp. This is supposed to help the sound and help break in the harp. Always tune the harp with the pedals in natural. Chances are you will have a number of broken strings during the next couple months. Don’t worry about that.

I believe your harp came from Lyon-Healy. If so, it was most likely regulated before it was shipped. Double check on that. I don’t know where you live but if it is a long way from Chicago, I would consider getting the harp regulated soon. My Salvi was shipped from Italy to California to Florida. It badly need a regulation from all that travel. A regulation worked miracles on the harp.

Enjoy your beautiful new harp. Post a photo.

[Sylvia]

I wondered about that…wonder what a tech would say.
2 cents here:
I was always told to tune in flats because tuning in naturals wears out the strings faster. The tune in natural thing was supposed to be when the harp isn’t too well regulated, so you kind of hit it in the middle and hope everything will be in tune.
I think the first regulation is supposed to be in a year. If it’s new, it should be regulated coming from the factory, no?

[Sonya Wiley]

I’m curious as to why he should expect broken strings in the next few months? i guess i better start ordering strings?

[Sid Humphreys]

Aways tune the pedal harp in flats! To tune while in natural or sharp will weaken the strings at the disk and they will break rather quickly.
Don’t be discouraged that it needs to be tuned again very quickly (like in 15 minutes to an hour) while the harp and strings are new. This is normal. Push in on the tuning pin while tuning and this will help the pin to stabilize. After a week or so, you will notice that the harp is holding tune. Don’t stop tuning at that point. Tune every time you sit down to play. Harps that aren’t kept in tune don’t hold pitch as well as those that are kept to pitch. This will also train your ear to hearing the correct notes.

[Sid Humphreys]

@ Sonya Wiley- If he tunes in natural there will be broken strings because of the stress from the tuning pin rubbing up and down on the string.

[Gretchen Cover]

YIKES I MADE A HUGE MISTAKE ABOUT TUNING!!! Thank you, Sylvia. I have no idea what possessed me to say natural. I meant to say flat. Always tune in FLAT!! My brain was clearly not firing in all 4 cylinders.

[Sid Humphreys]

LOL @ Gretchen! I thought maybe you were referring to a lever harp which you would tune in natural!

[Gretchen Cover]

PS to Sylvia – I would presume a harp is regulated after being built but harps do settle in when new which is why Salvi, for example, pays for the first regulation for a new harp. If a harp is shipped long distances, it will need to be regulated just from all the shaking around and climate changes during travel. It doesn’t hurt to check on what was done and when to the new harp prior to receiving it. And also make sure you understand the warranty for the new harp.

[jimmy-h]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Glad I was right about tuning flat first. I need to tape up a pedal diagram since it’s so new to me.

I’m using a Korg tuner TM-50. It’s alright but it bugs me how it says different notes at the very beginning and end of the soundwave/pluck. I’m tightening slow but it will read some 4 notes lower for a while and then skip notes before getting closer to what the string is supposed to be. (ie, reads G when it’s a B, then skips suddenly to C).

[Sid Humphreys]

Jimmy,
You may need a pick up mike for your tuner. If you have an iPhone you can get the Peterson Tuner ap. It’s something like $9.00 if memory serves. You will still need the pick up and an adapter for that as well but it’s worth the cost.
If you need your harp regulated, and don’t want to wait for Peter Wiley to come through the area, David Williams doesn’t live far from you, he can do a fine job regulating your harp.

[jimmy-h]

My daughter stole my ipad, but I found a tuner app for the surface pro that works much better than the Korg, at least in letting me visualize the scale and where I am on it.

I think what threw me for a loop was that as soon as you get one string close it affects all the others nearby. I swear everything went wonky when my daughter walked in the room, haha.

The process is more clear to me now.

[john-strand]

here’s a little trick you can use to get your tuner to read more “true” – and especially as you are getting a new harp to settle in – take a strip of cloth and thread it through the wires and up through 4th octave (several standard pedal felts are perfect)- then tune the upper octaves – when you get down to the 4th octave, start pulling the cloth off just a couple of strings, tune those, then pull the cloth a couple more strings and tune those etc etc – that way you are not getting overtones from the out of tune bass wires throwing your tuner off – an alternative is to use cloth wound through all the strings and start pulling them away from the bass wires to tune first and work your way up the octaves – once you have tuned the wires, use the cloth to damp the wires as you tune up – also somebody mentioned that a contact mike will also help to isolate the tuner from ambient sound – I also think that the more you move a new harp and tune it in assorted temp and humidity conditions the more stable it will be when it ages – remember the board is pulling up and adjusting itself on a new harp

[jimmy-h]

Thanks much. I’ll try that.

I always wanted to try and find you at University hospital playing, but never got the chance. Do you still play there? There was a lady that played at N.E. Baptist apparently, but she stopped around the time I came. I always wondered if it was not only public playing for enjoyment/community service or if it was also a paid service. When I feel like I have something to contribute I’d like to do it, but that may be a while.

[jimmy-h]

The cloth trick works well, thanks John. I used a pair of tube socks for what its worth (clean, or course). I tuned it up but being new it falls flat pretty quick. It sounds so rich compared to the rental lever harp I’ve been using. I mean, the rental sounded good but this is so far beyond that even with it falling out of tune quickly.

I thought I was past the blister stage. Silly me… Oh well, it’s a good hurt.

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